One for the computer geeks among you
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 08:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lethargic_manI attended a so-called "Green Troublemakers" meeting of NLS and NNLS members little while ago, as a result of which I ended up on a rota of providing Green Tips of the Week to both shuls' newsletters.
I thought I'd write mine on how it's not necessary to buy a new computer every few years: my own desktop, epicyclic, is about a dozen year old, but rejuvenated in 2004 when I got it with a new CPU and motherboard, and, since then, a new PSU, and DVD writer to replace the CD-ROM writer. Other ways I could soup it up would include adding more RAM and updating the graphics and sound cards... but I'm not sure one can continue this process indefinitely. Might there be issues, such as bus speed, which would limit the improvements one could get by upgrading the CPU and adding more RAM?
I've had a bit of a google, but couldn't readily find answers to this. Anyone here know?
I thought I'd write mine on how it's not necessary to buy a new computer every few years: my own desktop, epicyclic, is about a dozen year old, but rejuvenated in 2004 when I got it with a new CPU and motherboard, and, since then, a new PSU, and DVD writer to replace the CD-ROM writer. Other ways I could soup it up would include adding more RAM and updating the graphics and sound cards... but I'm not sure one can continue this process indefinitely. Might there be issues, such as bus speed, which would limit the improvements one could get by upgrading the CPU and adding more RAM?
I've had a bit of a google, but couldn't readily find answers to this. Anyone here know?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-04-27 08:45 pm (UTC)This is a fun issue. As a 32-bit OS, WinXP 32 can address up to 3GB of RAM. However, if more than 3GB or RAM is fitted, the "usable" amount - ie, that reported by Windows - is displayed as (3GB - nGB) where n is defined as the amount of RAM utilized by the GPU.
Hilariously, if your GPU has 1GB of VRAM fitted, WinXP 32 will report that it has 2GB available due to the necessity to "shadow RAM" under the x86.
WinXP 64 and every other 64-bit OS should not suffer from this limitation and should easily address up to 16GB of RAM depending on BIOS.
In response to the original question, CHECK YOUR BIOS. Check it online. That'll tell you the limitations and also whether there are any flashes available to reduce those limitations.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-28 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-28 08:04 pm (UTC)I knew that video RAM could impinge but hadn’t put two and two together regarding total addressable memory. This particular machine’s video card only has 256B though.
Other people report 2GB limits on similar hardware and it’s said to be a limitation of Apple’s BIOS emulation.